Pistorius to be sent for psych testing

PRETORIA, South Africa (AP) — Oscar Pistorius will undergo psychiatric evaluation after the judge ruled at his murder trial Wednesday that his state of mind when he killed his girlfriend should be assessed by experts, possibly delaying court proceedings for two months.

The ruling was prompted by testimony by a psychiatrist on behalf of the defense that the double-amputee Olympic athlete has generalized anxiety disorder and that this may have influenced his judgment when he fatally shot Reeva Steenkamp through a toilet door in his home on Feb. 14, 2013.

The chief prosecutor, Gerrie Nel, then requested psychiatric testing — a move opposed by Pistorius’ chief lawyer. Judge Thokozile Masipa agreed with the prosecutor, saying it was important to independently assess Pistorius’ state of mind because the defense might now argue that he was not criminally responsible for the shooting because of his anxiety disorder.

MOSCOW (AP) — Russia will only deliver gas to Ukraine only if it pays in advance starting next month, President Vladimir Putin said in a letter released today, raising the pressure on the struggling neighbor.

Putin first warned in April that Russia would do so in a letter to European leaders whose nations are customers of Gazprom, Russia’s state-controlled natural gas giant. He said M